Become their wicked yet gentle lord.

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"Things have been going well for us lately. The production capacity of the workshops under the Governor's Office has stabilized and is gradually increasing. Daily necessities and alchemical materials such as cement are in high demand both inside and outside the Empire, and high-end clothing and everyday wear are sweeping the country! The machines in the workshops are practically smoking, so the magical engineers have been very busy lately. But there are still some things I need to tell you..."

"I understand, but is this really necessary?"

Ryuga looked at Kira, who was sitting across from him in his lap. This brown-skinned beauty was wearing glasses and exuded the air of a sophisticated older sister. She was holding her head in her hands, looking at the report in her hands and adjusting her glasses as she spoke, but her movements made it difficult for Ryuga to concentrate.

Because the clothes of the woman in his arms were half-undone, her soft, medium-sized breasts pressed against his chest, her smooth, glossy brown skin as beautiful as if coated with oil, the two firm nipples rubbing up and down against his chest. The lower half of her body was clad in a long skirt that was half-open on the side, now pulled aside to reveal her two beautiful legs, which were straddling his waist and swaying gently back and forth. Her small mouth moved in sync with her soft, calm words, occasionally releasing a few gurgling, clear bubbles…

"Of course~ You'll be my chair today~ so I can work comfortably~"

Kira smiled slyly. For this woman, nothing was more exciting and motivating than managing the finances of a vast territory. If there was anything, it was the young man who gently swayed her soft waist in his arms—her lover, her benefactor, and her mentor.

"Look at you! You've grown so much taller and stronger since we first met! I really hate to see you leave, not even for a few months! Knowing you're leaving, those two little ones at home are even more heartbroken than I am. You little devil!"

Looking at the boy in her arms, Kira smiled gently and hugged Ryusha's head, pressing the boy's face close to her soft chest, surrounded by a tender fragrance.

The pressure and warmth inside her cavity intensified, and Ryuka mumbled, "Let's get down to business..."

Kira seemed to enjoy this 'work-rest balance'. She gently squeezed Liuxia's shoulder, signaling him to take over the shaking. As Liuxia rhythmically thrust against her, she opened her mouth and let out a soft, trembling sound, then continued speaking, suppressing her emotions:

"Ah~~~ There are a few problems... One is that the prices of raw materials we need to buy regularly are rising recently. For example, salt, iron, various rare ores, cotton, linen, and spices... On the one hand, the southern countries have been unstable recently, and many trade routes have been affected. On the other hand... um~~ yes, yes..."

"What is it?"

Ryuka chuckled mischievously and nudged a few times, then, holding Kira whose eyes were slightly rolled back, he tried to be naughty, letting the beauty in his arms pinch the flesh on his arm, before humming and saying:

"Some outsiders have started targeting us commercially... In industries like textiles and daily necessities, some have already begun to imitate our competition. Although they are at a disadvantage in the magical industry, it seems they have reached a consensus: to join forces and crush us first, forcing us to give up some market share. So they've started controlling external prices... Hmm... just a few more tries there..."

"Some people? The Chamber of Commerce Alliance?"

"Not only that, this time the other noble powers are the ones in control, the merchants are just accomplices. Many people are starting to imitate your methods, ruthlessly suppressing merchants for their own use... trying to do the same thing as you... ahhh~~"

Kira hugged Ryukyu's head tightly, saying reluctantly, "That's why I really don't want you to leave now. I can manage the finances, but I don't know how to handle these things... not to mention you're taking Adela with you... I'll lose a good helper..."

"Looks like you quite a bit of her? You're not jealous?"

Seeing Liu Xia's mischievous grin, Qi La couldn't help but gently bite the tip of the rascal's nose with her silver teeth: "Regardless of the past, she's incredibly useful in business and finance. Not to mention you've trained her to be completely obedient; she acts like she's seeing her mistress whenever she sees me~ A tool who doesn't need a salary, yet diligently does all the dirty and hard work~ Why would I be jealous~"

Despite saying that, Kira's lower mouth still pinched Ryuka's lips hard a few times. After all, she couldn't have Ryuka all to herself all the time anymore. Business and finance were originally her exclusive domain, and when Ryuka was doing these things with her, her time was usually all hers. But now it was often the three of them, and Kira was a little jealous.

But these few squeezes were incredibly pleasurable for Ryusha. He held Kira's slender waist and caressed the beautiful back of the half-dark elf, saying:

"It's alright. Esther from the Miller family is also very astute in this regard and adept at navigating the complexities of noble relationships. You can collaborate with her more often. Also, I've already spoken with Hetia and the others; if any problems arise, we can always address them physically at their root."

Ryuu's domineering statement caused the beautiful woman in his arms to have a small orgasm. Soaked in moist juices, Kira asked with shining eyes:

"A physical solution? What about those outside the province?"

"I'll talk to Zona about this later~"

Within the territory, there are the female knights; outside, there are the Shadow Guard's spies and assassins. Ryuka is also eager to see how well these beauties at home will manage the territory while he's away. They are no ordinary courtesans; though they appear delicate and charming in front of him, once outside this door, each one is a formidable ruler in their respective fields.

"Is that so? Then I hope you brought enough 'reward' today..."

After Kira finished speaking, she tossed the document in her hand and whispered in Ryusha's ear, "My two sides... it's been a long time since you've filled them up..."

Having said that, the brown-haired beauty embraced the boy tightly with her arms, and began to ride him with great pleasure...

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After a long while, Ryusha tidied up Kira's messy desk. The brown-skinned beauty still lingered on her shoulder with one hand, but she was slumped on the large desk, looking like a chocolate puff from head to toe.

"Take these..."

Seeing Ryusha about to leave, Kira smiled playfully, hooked one of her beautiful legs, and hooked the drawer handle with her round toes adorned with pretty toenails. A magical rune lit up, the seal was broken, and a drawer full of glittering gold notes and gems was revealed!

Those were universal gold certificates issued by the Chamber of Commerce! A thick stack, with a face value estimated at tens of thousands of gold coins! This was no small sum for a province as large as Sochi. Even disregarding fixed assets like servants and retainers, and territories, some viscounts and earls probably didn't have that much in liquid assets!

Not to mention the gems, scattered here and there, as if Adela and her men had looted their property.

Ryuka blinked: "So much money? What am I going to do with it? Aren't I going to save it for developing my territory?"

Ryuka had calculated that this money was probably left in the account by Kira for emergencies... In the months she was away, according to the planned development, the amount of money needed was not a small sum.

"A poor family needs a rich traveler~" Kira lazily turned over and hooked her legs around the boy in front of her. "Let me take care of the household expenses."

She cupped Liuxia's face in her hands and smiled, "You're representing the Otus delegation abroad, how can we skimp on expenses and formalities? Besides, we ran out of money in Sochi, you can earn it or find a way from others, but it's not appropriate to do that abroad."

"Unless... you manage to hook up with a few rich women over there, haha~"

Kira giggled, gently stepping on Ryuxia's crotch with her smooth soles and nimble toes. She didn't doubt the boy's abilities, but as Ryuxia's finance minister and sweetheart, she didn't want him to spend other people's money when he went out.

These words pleased Ryuka greatly. He gave Kira a quick kiss, then picked out a perfectly round sapphire from the collection and, while still kissing Kira, inserted it into her tight and slippery anus...

"I'll have Hetia help me make it into a pretty little stopper~ I want to pull it out myself when I get back~"

"Yeah~ They don't have it, they'll be jealous..."

As a knight, she does have the ability to forge simple items. However, since Ryusha only gave Kira 'gifts' without including any for them, Kira grinned mischievously.

"For now, just make sure those girls don't get scared just thinking about it..."

Ryuka chuckled, imagining those female knights probably unable to straighten their backs. With that, she decided it was time to go find Zona.

Chapter 29 The Shadow Guard Organization

"Master, are you sure you don't want me to send a few shadow guards with you to the Bauhinia Kingdom? The situation there might be..."

Inside the castle, the Shadow Guards in Zona's Intelligence Department meticulously organized and transmitted intelligence documents. The vast archives bustled with activity, categorizing intelligence gathered from various locations. Some Shadow Guards used magical crystals at communication stations to constantly receive external information, while others worked like clerks, organizing documents. As per Ryusha's instructions, the Intelligence Department collected far more than just military and commercial intelligence; it gathered geographical, cultural, resource, personal information, and even local anecdotes, and established a dedicated data analysis department.

Magic crystals, magical cameras, traditional letter writing... all of these are used and processed by different departments within the Shadow Guard organization. Ryūka had also told Zōna some interesting anecdotes about intelligence she knew, mostly from stories in her original world. It seemed that this female leader of the Shadow Guard had conducted many explorations and experiments, leaving the organization in Ryūka's awe and making it seem unfathomable.

Therefore, the previously clandestine mixed-race dark elves not only gained many job opportunities, but also no longer had to walk a tightrope of infiltration and assassination as before. Most of the younger mixed-race dark elves, lacking such distinctive physical features, entered the Sochi Academy with their parents' support, specializing in intelligence and data processing, and would become the fresh blood of the academy.

As for the position of tribal leader, Zona's mentor, Clemmer, entrusted it to her with complete trust, while he himself retired happily with his old master, Earl Duke, to enjoy his later years. The Duke family originally enjoyed living a carefree life, running a hot spring resort under Ryūsha's protection, as ordinary wealthy men, which also allowed them to reconcile perfectly with the half-blooded dark elves who had been their slaves in the past.

Today, this small minority group of only a few hundred people is free to choose their own path and career. However, many of them, remembering Ryusha's kindness, still enthusiastically dedicate themselves to the work of the new generation of shadow guards.

It's just a bit...too enthusiastic...

As soon as Liu Xia entered the intelligence department, it was like entering a land of women. Female shadow guards of all ranks secretly glanced at him. The more mature ones were around twenty-five or twenty-six, while the younger ones looked about the same age as Elena and the others, yet they already carried out their duties with remarkable experience. According to Zona, some of them were originally shadow guards, while others had quickly completed their basic training before arriving here.

"What are you looking at! Get back to work! Are you trying to make a fool of yourselves in front of the master?!"

Zona gave a cold snort, and the girls, young and old, quickly lowered their heads. Some of the bolder ones even winked at each other and stuck out their tongues.

"I'm more like their 'employer' than their master now."

Ryuu chuckled. The only one he truly had a secret contract with was Zona; he couldn't possibly 'take care' of so many mixed-blood dark elf women.

“That’s what you say, but they don’t think so…” Zona pursed her lips at her female subordinates. “With Nemi as an example, they all want to become your women. Fortunately, there are already many women in the tribe, otherwise it would be unbalanced.”

But that's how it is in the intelligence business; even if they can't win Ryusha's favor, it's equivalent to giving up their freedom to love and marry. Even so, it's still much better than their previous lives. In the past, only the most physically capable and skilled assassins among the mixed-blood dark elves could survive. Most were eliminated during missions or spent their lives breeding in caves. But they couldn't blame Earl Duke for treating them badly; after all, the lives of the serfs and poor outside were far worse than those of them, kept by the Duke family.

"In short, we still need to keep their minds in check. Times are changing too fast. The loyalty and secrecy of the Shadow Guard intelligence agency must not be taken lightly."

Zona stood with her hands on her hips, commenting on her tribesmen. It seemed she often gave the female shadow guards ideological education, acting as stern as a female leader.

This was completely different from how she was in front of Liuxia, which amazed Liuxia. Work and goals can really change a person's temperament a lot.

"Then, Master, is there anything you need to tell me?"

After calming the female shadow guards down regarding Ryūka's flirtatious intentions, Zona looked at Ryūka with a serious expression. Unlike Hetia and the others, although her dark elf bloodline might have instilled stronger desires, the ruthless and composed nature of dark elves balanced this out well. Especially the self-awareness accumulated over generations as slave assassins meant that Zona wouldn't express her desires as easily as those noble female knights, but rather focused more on Ryūka's orders and her own role.

"It's nothing serious, I just wanted to remind you to cooperate well with Kania and Kira, and to always be on the lookout for any activity inside or outside the territory. Also, in the future, focus more on intelligence gathering rather than assassination and infiltration."

Ryūsha briefly explained that Kira's earlier words had bothered him. Some nobles and powers had already begun to imitate his practices in various aspects. If they could emulate his methods in business, then perhaps they could do the same in military systems and internal affairs. After all, according to Tipalotura, her brother Clovis had realized early on during their encounters that the methods of warfare were about to change. In the past, the Shadow Guard's assassinations and espionage largely relied on the opponent's carelessness; the relationship between nobles and mercenary knights and soldiers was not particularly close. If others began to separate their armed forces for security, combat, and independent defense, and strengthen each, then assassination would become less effective against the strategist nobles.

Unless... special forces are trained specifically for raids and decapitation strikes, transforming this behavior from 'individual assassination operations' into systematic elite team operations...

This is not necessary for Ryukyu at the moment. He is more interested in legitimate rule, and only by defeating and eliminating the enemy head-on can he openly expand his territory and gain the recognition and support of the people.

"Understood, don't worry, Master, I'll always sleep with one eye open!"

"Zona said with absolute certainty," she declared. "As long as I'm at the heart of the Shadow Guard, I will never let a single useful piece of information slip by!"

As she spoke, she had her subordinate bring over a well-organized document, which was as thick as a book.

"Master, this contains intelligence on the forces along the Bauhinia Flower route and in the surrounding areas. We hope it will be useful to you. However, it's quite far from Sochi, and the information we gathered is limited. Please forgive us..."

Liu Xia quickly glanced through it. Besides information on local resources, specialties, and customs, it mainly listed which families were located there, how many troops they had, and the strength of their main members. Although the records were not extensive, they were quite concise and clear.

On it, Ryuka also saw a familiar name.

“Olivia, one of the Ten Celestials of Otus, daughter of the Crimson Sage Sophie Orlando…”

Liu Xia smiled. The furnace girl she had let go seemed to have 're-entered a job,' now serving under her mother who was stationed in the south. And the location she was stationed at was right on her way to the Bauhinia Kingdom.

"Ah~ looks like there's still some fun to be had on the way~"

Of course, there was also some fun to be had. After explaining everything, Zona was finally relieved of her responsibilities. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, glanced at her subordinates around her, and whispered a hint to Ryūka while biting her lip:

"Besides these, I have some other things I need to report to you privately, Master..."

Chapter 30: The Chaotic Allure of the Shadow Guard Organization

Ryuu smiled knowingly, looking at the somewhat nervous and expectant Zona, then glancing at the female shadow guards who were still occasionally peeking at the two of them, and couldn't help but chuckle as she asked:

"Where will you report to me privately? In your office?"

If Zona were to come into the office with him in full view of everyone, these young women, young and old, weren't stupid; they all knew what that meant.

But Zona didn't mind at all. In front of her female subordinates, she respectfully led Ryuka into her small office and rest area. As she was about to close the door, she gave the girls outside a meaningful look.

"If there are no urgent matters, everyone can go and rest for a while today. Of course, if important intelligence is delayed, don't blame me for being ruthless~"

Unexpectedly, these female shadow guards didn't get excited when they heard about the break. Instead, they gave Zona an awkward smile, looking like they'd been seen through.

"Chieftain, how can we possibly put down our work?"

Hehe~

Zona chuckled twice, then slammed the door shut amidst the starry-eyed stares of the female shadow guards.

Seeing Zona close the door with her body and look excited, Ryuka couldn't help but ask curiously, "What kind of trick are you playing?"

"Give them some excitement and a reward, my master!"

Zona slightly lowered her chin, casting a flirtatious glance at Ryusha with a shy and coy demeanor, her lips moving slightly with reverence and charm. A tight-fitting shadow guard-style uniform clung to her restless body, her long, shapely legs in black stockings rubbing gently against each other on her black boots, as if she were warming herself up.

After taking only a few steps forward, Zona felt herself becoming wet. Separated only by a thin door, she was about to serve her master before her people and subordinates. Normally, she was the high and mighty leader of the Shadow Guard, but this time, she wouldn't be. The half-demon dark elf beauty obediently knelt before Ryūsha, reaching out to undo her master's belt, her bright, excited eyes looking up at her master as she spoke:

"As you know, the bloodline of dark elves makes us yearn for this kind of thing even more, but the bloodline of humans can also suppress and balance this... As for them, the concentration of dark elf bloodline is not very high, so letting them hear sounds won't upset them~ on the contrary, it will help them..."

*Thud!* A thick strip of flesh slapped against Zona's pretty face, which was breathing heavily. A pair of delicate hands cupped her, and the fiery brown-skinned beauty began to tease her from the side with her soft cheeks and tongue.

"Hmm...this will make them more loyal and hardworking~after all, many people hope to become your concubines like Nemi, but I told them that they need outstanding performance and achievements to gain your favor, and..."

In a few words, Zona was ready with her sizzling tongue. She held Ryuka in one hand and began to unbutton her clothes with the other, revealing a pair of brown rabbits wrapped around her.

"Make it clear to them that their leader is your loyal slave, and that will make them understand their own position... um, um..."

Ryuka was surprised by Zona's crazy idea. Well, she was one of her own kind, so perhaps she knew her better. All she had to do was enjoy the service of this shadow assassin. However, Ryuka's keen hearing picked up a rustling sound and some heavy breathing coming from outside the door.

Seeing Ryūka's curious expression, Zōna, who was pinching her nipples and squeezing her breasts inward with her arms, kneading them like chocolate dough, gave Ryūka a mischievous smile and teased her, saying:

"Master, would you like to know what's happening outside?"

Ryuka raised an eyebrow, sensing it couldn't be anything good, and asked Zona, "Tell me about it?"

"No need to listen, you can see for yourself..."

As she spoke, Zona first helped Ryuka to her sofa bed, then took out two magic crystal balls, one large and one small, from her drawer.

"This is a custom-made communication crystal that the Shadow Guard department commissioned Anya Berg and her team to make. It's not in mass production yet; it's still in the experimental stage."

Looking at the small crystal ball, about the size of a pearl, in Zona's hand, Ryūka immediately understood what Zona meant. It was something like a miniature listening device or communicator! The larger one was probably just a normal receiver; what was there to brag about…

But Zona grinned mischievously: "Guess where the 'experimental phase' was conducted?"

As she spoke, she opened the large crystal ball, connected it with magic, and images immediately appeared on it...

"Is this the outer work area?"

Looking down from the crystal ball at the viewpoint, Ryuka captured the scene outside. In astonishing clarity, the female shadow guards, who had been busily working, seemed to have stopped at their posts, staring furtively at Zona's office door, wondering why the sounds inside had suddenly ceased…

"Just you wait~" Zona smiled slyly, then immediately shouted loudly, "Ahhh~~~~"

The scream sent a shiver down the spines of the female shadow guards outside, as if they'd been electrocuted. Then, several of them, hiding behind their desks, quietly reached down...

"Damn, they wouldn't be here...?"

Ryūka chuckled, while Zorna laughed and turned the button on the crystal ball's base, changing the view to another angle. At the same time, she climbed onto Ryūka's lap and began to suckle loudly and unrestrainedly, her tongue swirling wildly, her silver-gray hair flying up and down, and she made no attempt to hide her snoring!

"Mmm~~ Mmm~~ Slurp! Slurp~~"

Accompanied by Zona's unrestrained voice, from the voyeuristic perspective under the table, a pair of tight, androgynous trousers that revealed a well-proportioned apartment and full thighs came into view. Ryuka quickly remembered which female shadow guard was under the table. From the impression she had just formed, she was a mature female shadow guard in her early twenties with short hair, wearing glasses, and dressed in androgynous menswear.